Since its 1985 introduction, Australians have bought almost 350,000 examples of the 70 Series LandCruiser with around 170,000 of them powered by the V8 engine introduced in 2007. Production of the V8 engine has now ended and Toyota Australia has stopped taking orders for the LandCruiser 70 4.5 litre turbo-diesel V8.
Now the LandCruiser 70 Series only comes with a new 4-cylinder 2.8L turbo-diesel engine with a 130 litre fuel tank in all but the Troop Carrier, which has two 90 litre tanks, and a 6-speed automatic transmission. Maximum power from the 1GD common rail diesel is 150kW at 3,400rpm while the peak torque of 500Nm is 70Nm more than the V8, but the four-cylinder engine is very noisy both inside and outside of the cabin. The claimed combined fuel economy is 9.6L/100km and for my week of on-road driving I used 11.0L/100km. The maximum braked towing capacity is 3,500kg and there’s a power haul feature available for towing.
The tough steel body is built upon a full steel chassis to provide a strong stable platform. The ride is very harsh and to emphasise this, in my notes, I wrote ‘a sports bra is required’. At the front it has a rigid live axle, leading arm, coil springs, dampers and anti-roll bar and the rear has rigid live axle, semi-elliptic leaf springs, dampers. The hydraulic power steering is not precise and you will get an arm workout from turning the wagon as it has a 12.6 metre turning circle, so there’ll be a lot of ten point turns to be done if you are driving in and urban area.
I didn’t do any off-roading in the LandCruiser and this is most likely where it would shine the most because it has Active Traction Control (A-TRC) for slippery or uneven surfaces that employs ABS to reduce wheelspin and transfer drive to the wheel with the most traction. It also has Downhill Assist Control and mine had standard diff locks and for Low range selection and you need a tool to lock the front hubs in.
The GXL Wagon has 16″ alloy wheels in Eclipse Black, Chrome roof drop moulding and bumper, high-mounted Aluminium side steps and all GXL models except the Troop Carrier feature over-fender flares and front wide mudguards. Helping you tackle a range of challenging conditions, the standard fitment snorkel helps reduce the chance of water entering the engine when driving through water and helps provide cleaner, cooler air to the engine on dusty roads. Auto LED headlamps with manual headlamp levelling and automatic high beam, LED Daytime Running Lamps and LED front fog lamps are fitted as standard to the GXL as well.
The rugged good looks of the LandCruiser 70 Series are more than just skin deep and to prove this there are no vanity mirrors fitted. That’s lucky because when the brochure says “In the GXL, you’ll also have the convenience of power windows and central locking,” you know there’s not a whole lot of luxury going on in the interior and the polar opposite of the other SUV I was driving that week, the Aston Martin DBX707. At least every LandCruiser 70 Series is now fitted with air-conditioning, which is one thing my mum’s LandCruiser ute didn’t have when she bought it new in 1989. Fun fact though, the single-zone climate controls look very similar, something my children enjoyed playing with for novelty’s sake, and it still has the same design for the door locks on the interior as my mum’s LandCruiser.
The side step is very high and so are the front seats, so you get a great view above the traffic, but you really need to haul yourself up into the LandCruiser and then slam the door behind you to shut it properly. Even though you have keyed remote central locking you still need to insert the key to start the LandCruiser and you can still use the key to open the front doors and tailgate should the battery run out in the remote.
On the GXL you get fabric seat trim and although the light seat colour may be good for sun beating down on a hot day, it’s not good in a car that you’re going to be dirty in a lot time. Likewise, it’s good that all-weather floor mats for the front and rear come as standard to protect the carpet flooring from damage. The high front seats only have manual adjustment for recline and forward/back and there’s a small drink holder that’s about the width of a stubby in the front passenger side, and sensibly only map storage on the driver’s side, which is good because the LandCruiser does not come with sat nav. The collapsible steering column only has manual tilt and telescopic adjustment, and a vinyl-covered steering wheel. The analogue driver’s dash has a small digital screen on the right-hand side that can display a variety of information and the side mirrors do have powered adjustment
The 6.7″ colour touchscreen display can support wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto using the USB-A port adjacent to the screen. The media sources for the basic four speaker audio system include AM/FM radio with manual antenna, Bluetooth, USB, and MP3 compatibility. Voice control is meant to be fitted, but when I pressed the voice control button on the steering wheel with the masculine looking silhouette on it is said “voice recognition function not available.”
The centre console design is basic with one square rigid cup holder next to the manual handbrake and a second on towards the front on the passenger’s side. There is a cubby for your mobile phone in the console and another two USB-C ports and a 12V socket below the climate controls. It has a lockable glove box and under the arm rest there is a flip up ledge with a deep storage pocket under it.
Although this is a five-seater there’s really only enough room in the rear seats for two people and the leg room is tight, but there’s plenty of headroom. There are no ISOFIX child seat anchorages in the rear seat, but there are three top-tethers above the rear barn-doors. There’s also no rear air vents, cup holders or USB ports, so if you’re on a round Australian adventure with your family they are going to have to look out of the window for entertainment, which not a bad thing in my book.
To access the boot, the wagon has barn type 60/40 rear tailgate with the full-size spare tyre mounted on the larger door. The large boot has four substantial tie down points and the rear seats can be flipped up out of the way for a small mattress or more storage for your fishing gear. The very rear windows at the sides of the boot area can be opened a small amount, which is handy if you do plan on sleeping in the back of your LandCruiser.
The LandCruiser 70 Series 1GD Wagon GXL is unrated by ANCAP and has basic Toyota Safety Sense features including Lane Departure Alert, PreCollision Safety system with pedestrian detection and daytime cyclist detection and Road Sign Assist (speed signs only) and standard cruise control. Plus, driver and front passenger front airbags, but no side-curtain or driver’s knee airbags. The standard rear-view camera has guidelines only and no parking sensors.
All new Toyota vehicles are backed by a five year/unlimited kilometre warranty and if a defect covered by the Toyota Warranty Advantage causes your vehicle to be undriveable, towing to the nearest Toyota Dealer and a loan car is covered. If your vehicle is properly serviced and maintained per its Warranty and Service Book, Toyota will extend your engine and driveline warranty for an additional two years. Scheduled servicing is every 12 months/15,000km whichever occurs first and capped-price servicing applies for each of the first five scheduled services.
The LandCruiser 70 Series 1GD Wagon GXL + Standard Diff Locks costs $79,800 plus on-road costs and as tested with the optional Graphite paint colour ($675) my childhood throwback was $80,475 plus on-roads. You can Build & Price your LandCruiser 70 Series online or visit your preferred Toyota dealer for more information.
| Pros | Cons |
| You sit high above the traffic | The engine is noisy |
| The snorkel is fitted as standard | The ride is harsh |
| Comes with wired Apple CarPlay/Android Auto | The cabin is basic |
Photographs by Driven Women Magazine.